USING THE IsatPHONE pro

USING THE IsatPHONE pro (Unofficial document prepared by Laurie Edebohls for the use of Nerrigundah Brigade)

GENERAL INFORMATION The satphone requires line-of-sight to at least 2 satellites so you need to be outside in a clear area. For Nerrigundah region, the optimum signal strength will be at about 50 degrees above the horizon and to the north. Operation is possible in cloudy conditions but the phone may take longer to establish a connection with satellites. Using the phone in hands-free mode or with the earplug provides a better opportunity to keep the antenna pointed skywards when talking. Prepaid Units have been purchased by Nerrigundah Brigade and are not cheap. Please limit calls to an absolute minimum. The Pre-Paid balance can be checked by dialing 591# from the satphone or by dialing +870772000591 from a landline. This last option is not recommended as it may incur a considerable fee. *The calling party pays for calls made TO the satphone. As of November

2012, the Telstra call charge was $20 per minute in blocks of 30 seconds. To access the voicemail functions from the Satphone, hold down the “One”(1) key. The PIN for voicemail is 1122. To make an outgoing call FROM the Satphone 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

7. 8.

9.

Hold the red button down until the screen lights up. Deploy the antenna so it is pointing upwards. Move to a clear area. If possible point the antenna about 50 degrees above the horizon and to the north. “Searching Satellite” and other messages will appear whilst the phone is establishing connectivity with the network. This may take some minutes. When the “Ready to Dial” message is displayed dial the required number by depressing the zero key briefly to get a “+” symbol on screen, followed by the country code of 61 for Oz, the state code without the zero (2 for NSW) then the number. eg. To call Moruya Fire Control Centre the sequence would be +61 2 44742855 Push the green key to dial the number. To dial a MOBILE phone, repeat the above but leave out the first zero of the mobile number. Depress the zero key briefly to get a “+” symbol on screen, followed by the country code of 61 for Oz and then the mobile number less the first zero. eg. To call 0458 465912, the sequence would be +61 458 465912. When the call is completed be sure to push the red key to end the call.

Most Nerrigundah Brigade members phone numbers have been saved to the Satphone and can be selected from the menu options. IMPORTANT: The IsatPhone is a global satellite phone that uses the international Inmarsat prefix of 870. As this is an International number it does not allow calls to 000, 112, 6 digit, 1300 or 1800 numbers. As of July 2013 IsatPhone Pro can call 000 or 112 and be routed through to the local Australian Emergency Call Centre provided the phone is operating on firmware version 5.3.0 which was released in early 2013. Nerrigundah

Brigade's phone has been updated to version 5.3.0. To Call the Satphone from another phone To call the satphone from another phone dial the International Code followed by 870 776476066. ie. 0011 870 776476066. If the satphone is not active when called from another phone it is possible to leave a voice message. To Email the Satphone Email messages can be sent to the satphone. Email address is [email protected] This may well be the most cost effective way to make contact with the satphone. Other Applications Coordinates can be obtained in Lat/Long format from the phone by: 1. From the main menu select “GPS Position” (the Globe Symbol). 2. Select GPS Fix Details 3. Information provided will be Latitude/Longitude (in degrees, minutes and seconds), altitude, velocity and accuracy. A link to a conversion from Lat/Long to Australian Map Grid (AMG) coordinates can be found at http://scims.lpi.nsw.gov.au/transform.html